1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection method for ejecting a liquid such as an ink from a liquid ejection head.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet printing apparatus as a liquid ejection apparatus, for example, may produce minute ink droplets as an ink mist as well as ink droplets which are to land on a printing medium (a medium) when ejecting an ink (a liquid) from a print head (a liquid ejection head). This ink mist may land on the print head, causing an ink ejection failure or staining the inside of the printing apparatus.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-137483 discloses a printing apparatus comprising an air blowing-out opening and an air suction opening between which nozzles of the print head are sandwiched in order to collect the above ink mist. The ink mist is collected through the suction opening by sucking together with air blown out from the blowing-out opening.
However, in the printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-137483, a gas flow generated between the blowing-out opening and the suction opening passes through the positions of the nozzles. The gas flow may cause ink droplets ejected from the nozzles to land on a printing medium at deviated positions, thus lowering the printing quality of an image. Further, in a case where the flow rate of the gas flow between the blowing-out opening and the suction opening is low, it is difficult to collect the ink mist.